Vietnam to Expand Participation in UN Peacekeeping Operations

On the morning of September 23 (local time) at UN Headquarters in New York, General Phan Van Giang, member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of National Defense, held a meeting with Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. This meeting is interpreted as Vietnam signaling its intention to expand its contributions to UN peacekeeping operations (PKO). Vietnam highly values the efforts made by the UN to maintain peace and security and has made clear its stance to continue contributing to the international community through its participation in PKO. Since its first deployment of troops to PKO in 2014, Vietnam has steadily expanded its scope of activities. Initially, participation primarily involved medical support teams and engineering units. However, in recent years, Vietnam has also been considering involvement in more complex missions. This can be seen as part of Vietnam's strategy to fulfill its responsibilities in the international community while simultaneously enhancing the capabilities of its own military. This meeting served as an opportunity to explore concrete pathways for Vietnam to engage more deeply in UN peacekeeping activities. Vietnam is committed to strengthening its cooperative relationship with the UN and contributing to the realization of peace and stability.